A study has been released with information that estrogen could help women fight the flu, suggesting that the term "man flu," could be a real thing.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said he's not sure man flu is real, but he explained why the study is trending online.
Schaffner said, "There are other studies to show that once the flu virus gets down into your chest, boys and girls, it doesn't make a difference and that's where you really get sick."
Dr. Schaffner said he's not so sure the man flu is a real thing.
Schaffner said, "The female mice seem to have more resistance to infection wit the influenza virus in cells that come from their noses! So the question is, are women, females, girls, more resistance to influenza than are men?"
The study by the American Physiological society said estrogen plays a protective role in fighting the flu.
Schaffner said, "And I do remember the occasion when my children were small and my wife and I each had influenza and were taken to our beds and we didn't have in laws to help us and it was one on one! She took the girl, I took the boy, and we just had to cope!"
As far as the greater picture goes, influenza is actually on the decrease right now all across the country. Schaffner said doctors sent 356 strains to the Centers for Disease Control and all of them came back negative for the flu.
Schaffner said, "Influenza, though it's a quiet year so far knock on wood, is a terrible disease that occurs year in and year out and makes many people sick. So if we could learn something from this wouldn't it be wonderful."
